Ford Recalls Pickups Over Gas Tank Defect

Another Ford Motor Company vehicle recall has just been announced. This time, Ford is recalling a massive 1.1 million Ford F-150, F-250, and Lincoln Blackwood pickups. These vehicles were sold in colder weather states where it is typical for road salts to be used. These salts, said Boston.com, can rust the metal straps that hold the vehiclesâ€™ gas tanks.

According to the recall notice, should the strap break, the gas tank can be released, hit the ground, and burst into flames, noted Boston.com. Eight fires have been blamed for this defect and three of those spread to the remainder of the truck. Ford reported that one person sustained injuries involving first- and second-degree burns, said Boston.com.

These pickups have been involved in three recalls since 2008 and the recalls have involved millions of vehicles, with the latest involving some 1997-2004 F-150 models, some 1997-1999 model year F-250 pickups, and some 2002-2003 model year Lincoln Blackwood pickups, said Boston.com.

To correct this problem, Ford will be advising owners in September to bring their trucks to dealers where mechanics will replace the defective straps with new straps that have been coated to manage corrosion, reported Boston.com. Ford noted that the parts needed to correct the defect would not be fully available until September; however, in the meantime, dealers can install a cable to hold the tanks while replacement straps are on the way, according to Boston.com. Ford can be reached at 1.866.436.7332.

Earlier this year we wrote that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was investigating about 170,000 Ford Freestyle crossover SUVs from model year 2005 through 2007. Following 238 complaints and 18 crashes over unintended â€œlungingâ€ when driving at low speeds and when the gas pedal is not engaged, the NHTSA opened the investigation, it said on its website; one crash resulted in minor injuries.

It its recall posted at NHTSAâ€™s website, Ford said that the so-called â€œlungeâ€ can be stopped by depressing the brake pedal, â€œbut, in some cases, the vehicle has moved as much as 10 feet if the brake was not applied, lightly applied, or applied late,â€ the NHTSA said, wrote Bloomberg News previously. Bloomberg News said that customers complained of the movement occurring in both forward- and backward-moving gears, describing the moves as â€œsudden and unexpected and generally brief in duration,â€ the NHTSA said, wrote Bloomberg News. The lunge appears to be made worse when air conditioning is running or when the steering wheel is sharply turned, added NHTSA.

Also, earlier this year, said Boston.com, there were issues with Ford F-Series pickups and defective airbag deployment. It seems the airbags could deploy inappropriatelyâ€”at the wrong time, said Boston.com. In February, Ford announced it would correct about 150,000 F-150s for the inappropriate airbag deployment issue; however, it expanded the recall to 1.2 million trucks in April following mounting pressure from regulators. The defect led to 98 reported injuries, added Boston.com.